Tag Archives: Conservative

It is now quite clear after the arrogant and offensive comments made by the new Leader of Scarborough Borough Council Cllr Bastiman and his sidekick Cllr Backhouse in yesterday’s Full Council Meeting (see yesterday’s report of the meeting) that as the official opposition the Labour Group is going to continue to scrutinise every single policy with a fine toothcomb before either lending our support or totally opposing said policies.More …

This election is a fight about a different direction for Britain, to make it work for everyday people, not just for a privileged few with:

A recovery that works for you and your family.

The next generation doing better than the last.

The NHS there when you need it.

And we’re in a fight not because our opponents think we’re destined to lose. We are in a fight because they fear we are going to win. Our task is simple: not to be distracted, but to focus on the prize of changing this country. More …

I’m pleased to say that the Labour Group is now the ‘official’ opposition on Scarborough Borough Council – no, not because we have won yet another by-election – but because the forces of the right seem to be engaging in a pre-election game of musical chairs. The ‘Independent’ group has now lost two members, one to the Tories (giving them overall control of the Council by one vote) and the other to UKIP. This means that UKIP can once again call itself a group – even though both members were not elected to the Council under the UKIP banner. More …

Is there no end to the ways that the Conservatives trample on the lives of the people least able to protect themselves?

Apparently not! Now Conservative North Yorkshire is planning to leave elderly people needing care with NO money at all after they have paid for their essentials. NOTHING! No money for a newspaper; no money to buy a birthday card for a grandchild. NOTHING! More …

Baronesss Thatcher is to get a state funeral in all but name, and not merely because the Queen will attend – even if the last funeral of a prime minister she attended actually WAS a state funeral, that of Sir Winston Churchill. From the commentary we’ve heard since Thatcher’s death, the narrative has been that she was the greatest peacetime prime minister the UK had in the twentieth century, if not in all time. Therefore it is said she deserves a big send off at taxpayer’s expense.
Her death of course has sparked a debate about her legacy and position in history. But was she really the greatest peacetime PM we’ve ever had? Listening to Tory pundits she sorted out the UK economy, smashed the unions and put Britain back on the world stage, defeating General Galtieri and schmoozing Gorbachev (thus ending the Cold War) to boot.
The truth is rather different, More …

On the 22nd February, Scarborough Borough Council will meet to consider its budget for 2013/14. The ‘highlight’ of the debate will be whether to freeze the council tax at its current level, or go for a small increase. In many ways, the debate has already been settled by the government, whose controls over local authorities finances is now so complete that local councillors contribute little of meaningful value to the outcome. More …

This is a brief overview of the Con-Dems welfare reforms from April 1st of this year.

They are part of Ian Duncan Smith’s (IDS) quest for the Holy Grail of a Universal Credit system but reek heavily of the shirkers versus strivers argument and the deserving and undeserving poor views of a period I thought consigned to the dustbin of history. It is estimated that 60% of those affected are strivers; i.e. those in working families!
Well someone did say IDS sounded like an infectious disease.

I’ve split the changes into seven areas but don’t forget you can be hit by more than one and probably will be if you are affected. Whilst campaigning for the County elections I met a person with lymphatic cancer who had been moved from Employment and Support allowance (ESA) to Job Seekers allowance (JSA) as fit to work but is single and lives in a two bedroomed property provided by Yorkshire Coast Homes She is therefore also going to be hit by the bedroom tax as well as having to pay council tax (see below).At least a triple whammy! More …